The present invention relates generally to the field of hair supplements. More particularly, the present invention provides methods and apparatus for attachment of human or synthetic supplemental hair fibers to growing (natural) scalp hair.
The application of supplemental hair has become desirable for several purposes. For example, a person with thin hair (or hair loss in a particular area) may desire supplemental hair to replace the lost hair, or to provide more volume. In some circumstances, it is desirable or fashionable to add length to the hair. In these instances, longer supplemental hair or supplemental hair extensions may be added to the existing hair to provide the desired length.
Several techniques have been developed to volumize and/or extend hair. In one technique, a plurality of hair fibers are glued directly to the growing scalp hair. This method is often messy and may leave visible globs of glue in the hair. The glue also raises issues of chemical sensitivity.
A second method utilizes a sleeve that is tightened onto overlapping scalp hair and supplemental hair to hold the supplemental hair in place. Although this method avoids the mess of the glue method, the sleeve remains exposed which either detracts from the overall look of the hair or requires that the stylist use other scalp hair to hide the sleeves.
A third method employs a weft having a plurality of fibers attached along the length of a cable. The cable is then attached to the scalp hair, typically by weaving the scalp hair around the cable. This weaving of the hair is time consuming to both install the weft, and to remove it.